Aider
Open-source pair programming in the terminal.
Side by side
Aider vs Continue
Both are Apache-2.0 coding agents you run yourself. Aider is terminal-first. Continue ships a CLI, a VS Code extension, and a JetBrains plugin. Neither publishes a current hosted seat price.
Checked 15 Oct 2026. Cells quote the linked official page. Where a page is silent, the cell says Unknown.
Continue
Open-source agent, acquired by Cursor.
Where the recorded cells differ
- Inline completion. Aider: Unknown. Continue: Yes.
- Bring your own key. Aider: Yes. Continue: Unknown.
- Cloud agent. Aider: No. Continue: Unknown.
Matrix
| Field | Aider | Continue |
|---|---|---|
| Published from | Tool $0source No seat price. Model API charges are separate. | Tool $0source No hosted price on the current site. The open-source clients remain. |
| Free tier | Yessource The tool is open source and no-charge under Apache 2.0. Model use can still cost money. | Yessource Apache 2.0 clients. Model-provider cost is not published on the pages reviewed. |
| Open source | Yessource Apache 2.0. Confirmed in the FAQ and the GitHub LICENSE file. | Yessource Apache License 2.0. The homepage says the open-source codebase remains available after the Cursor acquisition. |
| Agent edits code | Yessource It edits the repo, commits with git, and can lint and test after changes. | Yessource Docs list an agent mode for development tasks. |
| Inline completion | Unknownsource The homepage does not describe editor inline completion. | Yessource Docs list autocomplete for inline suggestions while you type. |
| CLI | Yessource Terminal is the product. | Yessource Docs name the Continue CLI (cn). |
| Bring your own key | Yessource The getting-started commands take provider API keys, and the page says it can use local models. | Unknownsource The current homepage and docs overview do not state a bring-your-own-key policy. |
| MCP | Unknownsource The homepage and FAQ page reviewed do not mention MCP. | Unknownsource The docs overview reviewed does not mention MCP. |
| Cloud agent | Nosource Described as a local terminal tool. No hosted cloud-agent plan is listed. | Unknownsource The acquisition notice does not describe a cloud agent. Hosted plans are not listed. |
| Team or enterprise admin | Unknownsource No team admin, SSO, or seat plan is described on the pages reviewed. | Unknownsource No team admin product is described on the current homepage. |